1:144 P-47D Thunderbolts

The razorback version, before the bubble canopy came

The Republic P-47 was first built with a high spine behind the cockpit. Among modelers this form acquired the nickname razorback, and it was this one with which the American fighter groups in England first escorted bomber formations deep over the continent. Only later was it replaced by a bubble canopy with a view to the rear.

The sheet offers four such aircraft together with the names of their pilots:

• 42-76275 Squirt II - 405th Fighter Group, Lieutenant R. Parker
• 42-8096 Miss Mutt - 348th Fighter Group, Lieutenant Colonel Robert R. Rowland
• 42-26298 Button Nose - code LM-A, 56th Group, Lieutenant Albert Knafelz, it also carries the inscription Stalag Luft III
• 42-7937 Triss - code LM-Q, 62nd Squadron of the 56th Group, Lieutenant A. R. Carcione, Halesworth, February 1944

The assignment of pilots is the main strength of this sheet. Anyone building to one particular person does not have to look up whose machine was whose and can complete the model with a label giving the name and the unit.

The pair of 56th Group machines share the squadron code letter and differ only in the individual letter, so side by side they make a clear pair. Applying them is straightforward: clear-coat the surface with a gloss layer, let the marking release from the paper and move it with a damp brush. On the white identification stripes on the wing, watch that the edge follows the leading edge, otherwise any deviation shows at once on the finished model.